The Bexar County Elections Department said in a Tuesday night Facebook post that it’s finished processing its backlog of 52,000 voter registration applications, some of which date back as far as July 1.
The backlog’s completion comes days before the Oct. 20 start of early voting for November’s election.
In late September, the Election Department required staff to work 12-hour days and through the weekend to begin clearing the backlog as the clock ticked down.
Despite promising at a press conference to tackle 75% to 80% of the backlog by October 3, roadblocks created delays for staff in their quest to tackle the mountain of applications.
Elections Department officials blamed the late start in processing the applications on data migration issues between the county’s system and the Texas Secretary of State’s TEAM system. Once the county finally migrated its voter data to the statewide system, the floodgates were open and the Elections Department became a frenzy of activity.
Elections Administrator Michele Carew told the Current in an Oct. 6 interview that she had hired 30 temp workers in addition to eight already assisting full-time staff in processing the backlog. Carew said the temps were intended to ease the burden on staff after a whistleblower complained anonymously to the Current about grueling work conditions.
Once the 30 additional temp workers were brought on, staff worked in shifts, with the night shift clocking out at midnight, according to current and former staffers who spoke with the Current.
On the November ballot, voters will determine whether to use public dollars to fund a new Spurs stadium, which would become a centerpiece of the Project Marvel development. Voters also will determine whether to fund upgrades to Freeman Coliseum that would create a year-round rodeo and livestock district.
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